Note: This play was written when Pluto was a full-fledged planet. We had always treated it as a strange planet---not one of the gang. The numbers of moons of Jupiter have also changed but regardless, this play still remains one of our most popular.

--Ron Fink and John Heath

Casting

Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Guides, Mechanics, Venettes, etc. as desired. One student
can also play more than one role. Note that roles are not gender-specific;
see our comments on page 34 of the Teacher's Guide.

Script

This is the first one-third of the script:

CHARACTERS:

Dad
Mom
Ariel
Josh
Guides
Moons (different phases)
Sun
Mechanics
Mercury
Venus
Venettes
Pluto
Earth
Jupiter
Moons of Jupiter
Rings of Saturn
Neptune Dad
Neptune Mom
Neptune Kid
and a CHORUS made up of all students who are not playing roles at the time.

(Two kids are packing up suitcases without enthusiasm. There is a big dog sitting on
top of one of the suitcases.)

ARIEL: I am NOT looking forward to our vacation this year.

JOSH (petting GUS, the dog): Me neither. Gus always gets car sick.

ARIEL: Something always goes wrong.

JOSH: Remember last year? We got lost in the Everglades.

ARIEL: How could I forget? I didn’t know alligators could move so fast.

JOSH (holding up GUS): Yeah. But I think Gus looks good without a tail, don’t you?

(from off-stage)

DAD: Are you kids ready to go?

JOSH (to ARIEL): Where are we going this year?

ARIEL: Mom said Dad was on the Internet all night looking for something special.
Can you say "disaster"?

(3 TOUR GUIDES enter. TWO of them carry 7 portable teleports that look a lot like
doormats. THEY spread them out on the stage. The third GUIDE carries a little
remote control box with a large spinning dial.)

These are the simple lunar facts
I wax and wane and wane and wax
It takes me almost thirty days
I guess I’m in a lunar phase.

MOONS and CHORUS:
New moon
There’s not much to see
Real soon
There’s a slice of me
Full moon
Shine bright and round
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.